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Community Question: PSAT Prep for Homeschoolers?

Community Question is a category inspired by you. Here and there readers write in with questions that are better served by the varied, experiential knowledge of those who read and contribute in the comments. Have a Community Question? Email it to Heather.

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After reading a recent post here on Pioneer Woman’s homeschooling blog about college preparation a reader wrote in to ask whether or not I have selected a PSAT computer program to help prep Emelie.

Since I have yet to even research prepping for the PSAT I do not have any solid recommendations. However, I thought it would make an excellent community question, as well as allow me to check off one more thing off my college prep list!

If you would, please share your collective wisdom and help those of us just starting on our way. Do you have experience with any PSAT computer (or otherwise) programs you would recommend?

Heather Sanders

Hi. I’m Heather, a freelance writer living in Huntsville, a smallish town on the tail-end of the East Texas Pineywoods.
Twenty years ago, I married Jeff, the love of my life, and shortly after, we chose to “go forth and multiply.” We have three kids: Emelie, Meredith and Kenny. We homeschool. It's what we do, and it works for us.
Tired of feeling overwhelmed, we recently "faithsized" our family into a 960 square foot lake cabin in need of renovation. I write at HeatherSanders.com about faith and simplifying your desires so you can be content right here and right now

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http://act.walkworthy.us Liz in OK

I’ve been helping students prepare (primarily for the ACT) & have found they need to focus in 3 different directions: strategy, time use & knowledge. The first two can yield improvements fairly quickly & easily. Knowledge is harder to impact in a short time but reviewing grammar rules, practicing math concepts & learning to use a good calculator are worth the time & effort.

LOTS of websites are available with questions, some are more helpful than others, some require payment. Be aware that no one (other than ACT, Inc & CollegeBoard) can provide ACTUAL questions of the types used on the ACT & SAT (because those are copyrighted). So it’s important to get real, live, relatively current questions from the question makers – I’ve noticed that some other test prep services/books have questions that sometimes are not very helpful.

There are several apps that offer vocabulary help – I’ve found that many of these are questionable in that they’ve tried so hard to be “hip & with it” that they’re actually quite often crude & offensive.

What seems to work with most students is an intense month-long prep just before the test. That’s what I’ve been providing & we finish just a day or two before the test. Students who you think are going to score relatively high or relatively low may merit a much longer preparation (3-6 months, possibly longer).

The PSAT can be taken by students prior to their junior year as a practice test – that’s a very good idea. The ACT can be taken in the PLAN & EXPLORE formats for younger students (8th-10th grades). That helps by giving the student a less-stressful opportunity to see what it’s like to take a long test, get experience with the questions & question types, and see how big an issue time will be for them specifically.

Now that’s this Ozark Farm Chicks kinda teachin’ mama….just go to the sources!!! As a former educator, I now our world of technology has brought the world right to our very fingertips and there are heaps of resources to be found. :o)

That said, your gonna get more advice here than you can probably wrap your brain ’round. Ya know…TMI, but remember…ya have to find the programs that work best for you and your youngens. ‘Nuff said………

From the frosty hills and hollers of the beautiful Missouri Ponderosa, ya’ll have yourselves a fantastically blessed happy New Year!!! :o)

Rachel

I used to teach 10th grade, and they took the PLAN test as a marker for the ACT they had to take their junior year. In NC, where I tutor students in SAT and ACT prep, sophomores are required to take the PSAT. My thought is why do you need “prep” for the PSAT when it is actually a prep tool? I suggest look into taking it and prepare if you want, but think of it more as a pre-assessment, instead of a post. Then use the test (PSAT or PLAN) to guide you in finding SAT prep materials. For homeschool children who are not used to the gauntlet of standardized testing, it is probably worth the money to take the PSAT/PLAN just so you and your child can get a feel for the regulations, timing, etc.

Liz in OK highlighted three main areas that I think are good guiding categories: strategy, time management, and knowledge. Keep in mind that the SAT and ACT are two different tests and use slightly different test-taking strategies. For example, SAT penalizes for wrong answers, ACT does not. College Board used to offer a “question of the day” email (I think they still do, but don’t hold me to it) and would send a practice question in a certain category each day. That is a great starting place to get comfortable with the material, just getting a little each day.

Stacy and the rugrats

Thank you for this info! Do you find that it also applies to even younger students? My ds will be taking the ACT next year in the 7th grade as part of the Duke TIP program. (Right now that is the plan anyways – ACT over SAT)

Thanks again!

pk

The PSAT is, as Rachel pointed out, a prep tool when taken before the fall of the student’s junior year, however it is also the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, but ONLY when taken in the fall of the student’s junior year. Doing well on the test when taken as the NMSQT can result in scholarship money and recognition which can be an important asset on a college application. The test can be taken more than once, so I would recommend taking it first as a prep test and then again definitely in the fall of the junior year. More info about the test is available on the website for the test.

Also a Rachel pointed out, College Board does send out question of the day email. We still get them, even though we have no children preparing for the test. It’s a good way to keep us on our toes and to increase our vocabulary.
As to the ACT vs SAT question touched on by Stacy – Colleges differ about how much emphasis the acceptance committees place on tests in general, and which tests to emphasize . Since the SAT and ACT are different tests it is good to know which tests are preferred by the colleges to which the student plans to apply and if possible take both.
Lastly, I have been through this procees 3 times and have found that while testing is important colleges also want to enroll students who are involved in their schools and communities and give back to them in some way. All my kids received scholarships and while testing is important but it’s definitely not everything in the college prep process.
Good Luck!

Shannon

Yes, Rachel! I just looked it up. The Official SAT Question of the Day is available as in Iphone app at the Itunes store. Thanks so much for this infomation.

Chrystal

They prep for the PSAT because that is the test where Merit Scholarships come from. They get one shot at it that counts. They can take it before the 11th grade, but the only score that will qualify for the scholarships and accolades comes in their junior year.

We used a written prep. I got a prep book from the bookstore and we worked through that. It did have some timed tests that my daughter took on the computer and it helped identify her areas of weakness. In the end she did not qualify for Merit Scholarships (only the top 1% do), but when she took her ACT she did qualify for alot of scholarship money at every college she applied for. She finished homeschool high school in the spring and started college in the fall and is doing very well.

Dont forget about National Merit…PSAT got. Me essentially a full ride to OU!

Rachel

Chrystal, you are right, I forgot about the PSAT merit scholarship. Another difference between PLAN & PSAT! I’m glad your daughter is doing well at college! Your example of your daughter also goes to show that one test is not the be-all-end-all. Even though your daughter didn’t get the PSAT scholarship, her other scores were still quite good and earned her scholarships in other ways. I guess that’s one reason why I don’t put too much emphasis on the PSAT as a goal for financial aid — there are many other ways for students to earn financial support for school (I know I certainly did), and I’d rather the PSAT/PLAN provide them with a valuable pre-assessment, rather than another high-stakes outcome. Ah, well. But you’re right in that I should have mentioned the merit scholarship as a possible goal for taking it.

Khristin

I took the PSAT when I was in highschool (probably 12- 13 years ago) and to be honest I didn’t use anything to study for it. I thought of it as a practice test, the study test, for the SAT and I did very well on them both. The PSAT was no big deal to me so I wasn’t stressed and I did well. Then because I had done well on it I had a lot of confidence going into the SAT.

meg

I teach high school, and our sophomores take the PSAT free of charge from the state, so that they can prepare themselves for the “real” PSAT and SAT as juniors. The College Board has a website, called My College Quickstart, that students can access after they take the PSAT – it has a section that gives them a breakdown of their score, gives them all of their responses (along with the correct responses) to all of the questions, and has suggestions on how to better prepare that is tailored to how that particular student did. I would suggest having your student take the test as a sophomore to get used to the timing of the test and the format in which questions are asked, as well as what kind of questions are asked, and then also to have access to My College Quickstart.

Rachel

pk, thanks for mentioning that testing is not the only factor in college prep! I want to second that statement. Parents and students alike sometimes get so hung up on test scores that they forget there are many ways to “beef up” a college application. Similarly, there are many ways to earn financial aid for schools other than the PSAT merit scholarship. Most of my scholarships as an undergraduate came from either my college’s scholarship offerings, or those associated with family employers and local communities. So, prepare wisely by not putting all your eggs in one basket!🙂

Annette

The PSAT is a prep tool, but I think it is one of the most important tests a high-school student can take. It is often overlooked in the midwest, ( especially in Iowa, where the ACT is the main focus). The most important score is when the student takes it as a Junior in high school, BUT do not wait until then to take it, or prepare for it. Our daughter took the PSAT as a sophmore. We then purchased the PSAT review book at Barnes and Noble for $13.00. When she took it as a Junior her score increased and allowed her to become a National Merit Finalist. If she had chosen to attend a local state school, she would have been considered a National Merit Scholar. Being a NMF offered her at least 8 full tution scholarships, ( all over the country…including OK). The PSAT is very, very important. It is different than the ACT and it’s important to change one’s strategy when approaching this exam. In hindsight, I think students should start looking at the material in Junior high. There is no pressure at that age to do well, and it helps them get comfortable with the test and material. I also think the ACT should be taken when there is no pressure. Once a student is a Junior or Senior, there are so many other ‘things’ to focus on… it is nice when one of these exams isn’t AS stressful as it could be. If the student is taking it for the first time… it WILL be stressful.

http://PioneerWoman Sandra in NOLA

One more anecdotal story about the necessity of extracurricular activities. A few years ago I was teaching English in an excellent school in Slidell, LA. One of our best students was not allowed to participate in activities at school because his parents wanted him to focus on his studies. He was Valedictorian the year he graduated, and was accepted at several prestigious universities, but he was awarded very little scholarship money. We teachers knew the only thing he lacked was nonacademic activities because we had written recommendations for him. Studies have shown that extracurricular activities are the number one indicator of success after high school. Encourage your children to be involved in something that allows them to develop and show leadership skills among their peers. It is more than just a social activity!🙂

http://homeschoolbooklover.blogspot.com Janet Yaceczko

Latin, Latin, Latin, and more Latin. Oh, and did I say Latin?
That’ll ace it for ya. Start now. Drop me an email. I’ll help you.
-Janet

Fogspinner

We in CA have to take Exit Exams. We are using XLprep.com which has several different types of tests you can study for. I chose this one for it’s format. You have pre-tests, then each subject (for exit it’s english and math) is broken down into sections, with problems, and instant answers with directions for doing the problem correctly. Great for the Algebra stuff. There is a running score and timer for each section with a page listing all their scores in each section. This works great for us, we can print that and turn it into our charter school as “proof”. It cost us approx 80 for a whole year.

My son has to take exit exams in Feb (his sophomore year) and can take again each year (at least once) until his senior year. If he passes now, he’s done. If he doesn’t we will be using this site again.

http://kdrausin.com/blog/ Krista

Thank you so much for this information. My son just got an iphone. I’m adding the app.

Marian

I spent about 25 years doing SAT prep both one-on-one and in classes and even published an SAT prep book with my mom. The biggest advice I can give is to buy actual tests created by the real test publishers, and not to use tests/questions generated by companies selling their prep program. No one can write the questions quite the same way as the publishers and that can make a big difference!
There aren’t as many PSAT prep materials, but the same basic rules apply to the SAT so just use those tests. The primary differences are number of questions, time and that the SAT is based on one more year of math and one more year of English.
The most important thing to do is take many practice tests, timed, and to take the time to analyze the results and look for patterns and trends in the results. Remember that you get a point for every question right, lose 1/4 a point when wrong and there are is no penalty for a wrong answer. So, since it is timed focus on what you can answer correctly, then the questions you think you can get and skip the ones that either take too long to answer or that you just can’t figure out. Good luck!

Elizabeth B.

The best PSAT prep program is College Prep Genius available at http://www.collegeprepgenius.com . It was developed by a homeschool mom and costs around $40. My twin daughters went through the workbook and DVD twice before their junior year PSAT exam and brought their score up over 40 points. It is not like anything else on the market. It is far better than any book you can buy at Barnes and Noble and much cheaper than a prep course.

abigail cook

My husband did a wonderful college piece called ‘Undertaking the College Search’ when our daughter, Julia completed her quest in 2009. Yep, it was an exhaustive search but a great father daughter bonding time for five years. Hopefully it will be helpful to you all when beginning this search for the college that fits your child because it will be a multi year commitment on the search, discovery and merit money available nationwide.

See below the piece by Michael:

Undertaking a College Search

Step 1 (now): Think about the type of school that will best suit your child’s needs and preferences.

Large or small? Private or public? Location?

The answer to these questions will depend, in part, on the kind of education you seek. If you’re looking for a liberal arts curriculum, for example, then you will probably gravitate toward smaller, private colleges. If your child is interested in more of a vocational orientation, e.g. accounting, nursing, engineering, etc., then you will want to look at universities (especially those that are state-sponsored).

In Julia’s case (by way of illustration), we knew she would pursue a traditional liberal arts curriculum. And, since she has always attended small schools, we focused on small colleges. We have always had a preference for private schools, so we eliminated from consideration public colleges and universities.

Another consideration is location. Your choice is made easier if you decide you want your child to be within, for example, a five hour drive from home. Or you might want to limit your search to a particular state or region.

In Julia’s case, we initially targeted schools in the South, figuring that southern schools would have a more traditional (or less trendy) approach to the liberal arts. We also knew that southern private colleges tend to cost $8 to $15 thousand/year less than many academically comparable northern schools. Eventually, we broadened the search to include some Midwestern schools. We eliminated East Coast and West Coast schools from the outset. Too radical for our tastes.

To define a universe of schools, we initially used US News and World Report’s ranked listing of liberal arts colleges (this publication also has a listing of research universities). We weren’t so much interested in the rankings as in the names and locations. Then, to learn basic information about schools cited in the US News list, we consulted the Princeton Review’s publication, The Best 366 Colleges, which contains useful 2-page profiles on the schools.

As our search progressed, we ended up focusing on schools ranked in the 50 – 100 range in the US News list. Many of the southern schools just happened to be there. The upper half of the list tends to be dominated by the elitist eastern schools – which we wanted to avoid, and which were probably out of Julia’s reach anyway. She did apply to two elite schools in the South: Davidson and Washington & Lee. I didn’t expect she would be admitted to them, and she wasn’t. (Thus we avoided having to confront the question of whether one of them was worth $50k/year. I never believed so.)

Attached is a list of the schools Julia visited over the course of a four-year search.
Allegheny College PA
Augustana College IL
Birmingham-Southern College AL*#
Centre College KY
College of Wooster OH*#
Davidson College NC#
DePauw University IN
Eureka College IL
Furman University SC*
Gettysburg College PA
Grove City College PA*
Hanover College IN*#
Hendrix College AR*#
Hillsdale College MI*#
Hiram College OH*#
Kenyon College PA
Knox College IL
Lynchburg College VA*#
Millsaps College MS
Ohio Wesleyan University OH
Presbyterian College SC*#
Randolph-Macon College VA*#
Rhodes College TN*#
University of Richmond VA
Ripon College WI#
Samford University AL
Sewanee, The Univ of the South TN*
Transylvania University KY#
Wake Forest University NC
Washington & Lee University VA*#
Westminster College PA*#
Wofford College SC

Step 2 (Begin now, and continue through senior year): Visit schools.

This is time-consuming and entails expense. But it is the most important element of the college search. You can’t get a true sense of a school until you visit it (and you’ll probably need to visit it more than once, if you’re seriously interested in the school).

Julia and I started doing this informally, during her spring breaks. We would simply give ourselves self-guided tours of campus. After a while you get to know what you need to see: the library, the gym, the cafeteria, the student union, the bookstore, the performance halls, the athletic fields, etc. You can get brochures and a campus map from the admissions office. We avoided signing up for tours or getting on mailing lists until Julia was a second semester sophomore.

We combined these informal visits with trips to historical sites, etc. In the early years, Julia’s attention span was short. An hour or two on a given campus was her limit.

The chief benefit of these early informal visits is that it leads to a paring of the list of potential schools, and helps to identify schools worthy of further exploration.

Certainly by the beginning of junior year, you should have your child get on the mailing lists of schools she thinks she might like to apply to. In fall or spring of junior year, she should start making official visits to the schools under serious consideration. She will meet with an admissions counselor, take a guided tour, and sit in on a class or two. The best way to indicate your interest in a school is to visit its campus.

Thus the college recruitment season begins. Your mailbox will seem to be on steroids.

During the summer following junior year, your child should be able to assemble a list of schools to which she will apply. Have her devote the month of August to the drafting of an essay or essays (by this time she should be in possession of the applications). A single, well-crafted essay can be used for all or most of the schools to which she is applying.

Begin submitting applications in September. Many schools have rolling admissions, and will respond in October and November. (Only the most elite schools make you wait until April 1 for an answer). Apply early action (non-binding) wherever possible. Avoid applying early decision (binding) because, in my view at least, it telegraphs a willingness on the part of the parents to pay full sticker price if the child is admitted.

If she does all this, her options will be known before Christmas of her senior year. Then you will have until May 1 to make a decision on which school to attend. This time can be used to visit the leading choices again. Overnight visits are especially valuable in giving a child a true sense of a school and the type of students it attracts.

Julia had acceptances from 11 or 12 schools before Christmas of her senior year. She didn’t commit to a school until April 29th.

Step 3 (Begin now; update continuously): Build a resume.

This is critical. Applying to college is like applying for a job. A resume tells a school who you are and what you’re interested in. As soon as Julia began making official visits to schools, she was armed with a resume, which she was able to present at the beginning of her interviews, and which became part of the files maintained on her by the schools she visited.

The point of the resume is not to demonstrate how exceptional your child is, but rather to suggest that your child has certain interests and abilities – whatever they may be – that will make her – for one or more reasons — a welcome addition to an incoming freshman class.

In Julia’s case, the resume conveyed her principal academic interest (history), her principal passion (theater), her involvement in varsity sports, and her study of music.

It also showed that she had some work experience.

A good way to build a resume is to send your child to camps in the summer. These experiences look impressive on paper, and they’re not terribly expensive to acquire. Most college-based music or theater or sports camps cost on the order of $425 for a week. In addition to whatever these camps provide by way of skill-enhancement, they also afford a glimpse of college life: living in a dorm, eating in the cafeteria, hanging out on campus with friends. All in all, well worth the investment.

An additional benefit of having a resume is that it becomes a handy attachment to the college application. Indeed, in many cases your child will be able to avoid the laborious task of completing boxes and charts regarding extracurricular activities and work experience; instead, she can simply write “Please refer to my resume, which is attached.”

Julia actually had two resumes, a general one, and a theater-specific resume (she used the latter when applying for theater scholarships).

Good luck and remember your child cannot make these decisions alone, they need support and guidence from their family. One parent must be the ‘agent’ because invariably the schools will be at times agressive with the student and not for the best reasons.

Carolyn

I work in a high school college counseling office as an assistant to the college counselors and the building College Board testing coordinator. We receive PSAT prep books from College Board that we give to the students. The books are filled with information and practice questions. The CB website, as others have said, really has a wealth of information. We do not stress preparation for the PSAT as much as the SAT, which really counts more for college admissions. Even though you can win a Merit Scholarship from good PSAT scores your junior year, college admissions tend to care more about SAT scores. And SAT scores will index your son/daughter for other college/university scholarships, too. After just going through the early round of admissions decisions for this year, I cannot stress this more. We had students deferred or denied based on mediocre SAT scores (1300 range out of 1600) with a 3.6 or 3.8 (out of 4.0) GPA. Having the resume line of being a PSAT national merit winner is nice, but the whole package counts; you need to show interest in a school, interest in an academic area (or two), and show community involvement. So if you have the time to prepare for both PSAT and SAT, that’s wonderful. Best of luck!

http://ThePioneerWoman Mary Jane

We are blessed here in the state of Tennessee to have the Tennessee Electronic Library available for free to all residents of TN. You can access it through the schools and libraries websites or just go directly to TEL and enter the county and school or library name. It not only has SAT and ACT, it also has practice tests and guides for work related exams, ASVAB, etc. It also has scholarly journals, newpaper, magazine and other resource materials that students from elementary school through college can use for reports, term papers as works cited. It is a wonderful resource and one we are always recommending at our library.

JOY

Wow, great question. I knew in high school I had to take that test (PSAT and SAT). It was sort of a right of passage since I was going to college. When I applied for grad school, I had to take the GRE.

Do you test prep them with computer generated programs? I had teachers that prepped us in school (yep, back in the olden days of no computers or calculators). We took tests in the multiple queston format.

Fro grad school, I took computer driven tests, and based on those tests I studied the areas of concern. for tricky areas (MATH), I sought a tutor to help with math concepts. I was in my late forties when I went to grad school, so you understand why I sought help (plus prayed, chanted to the GRE gods, made offerings….)

Prepping for these tests can only help in their ability to take these type of tests. I say “get the program” take it yourself and let the kids use it.

Elise

My daughter just took the PSAT as a junior. I highly recommend studying for it. We used the McGraw Hill test prep book. It is very inexpensive and very effective. I felt it was very well organized.
My daughter did very well on the PSAT and did minimal studying for the SAT and did really really well on it. I think studying for the PSAT helped so much for the SAT.